A Roadmap for Designing and Implementing a Hub-and-Spoke Virtual School-Based Health Clinic in Denver Colorado

Area of Science:

• Healthcare delivery innovation
• Pediatric health services research
• Public health program development

Background:

• School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) can reduce barriers to youth healthcare access.
• Many schools lack on-campus SBHCs, creating care gaps for students.
• Denver Health established a virtual care program (VCP) to extend SBHC services to schools without physical sites.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and implementation of a novel SBHC virtual care program.
• To provide frameworks for establishing similar programs in other school districts.
• To address healthcare access challenges for students in underserved schools.

Main Methods:

• Development of a virtual care program linking school nurses and SBHC providers.
• Creation of a theory of change model for program implementation.
• Utilization of process maps and appointment flow diagrams to structure care delivery.

Main Results:

• The SBHC VCP was implemented across 58 schools starting August 2021.
• The program facilitated close to 900 patient visits.
• The program's framework demonstrated success in expanding healthcare reach.

Conclusions:

• The Denver Public Schools (DPS) SBHC VCP offers a scalable model for other SBHCs.
• Virtual care mechanisms can effectively extend the reach of SBHCs to schools lacking on-campus facilities.
• This approach can help mitigate disparities in healthcare access for student populations.